The Hawaiian archipelago : six months among the palm groves, coral reefs, & volcanoes of the Sandwich Islands / by Isabella L. Bird.

Isabella Bird

Date:: 1890

Credit: The Hawaiian archipelago : six months among the palm groves, coral reefs, & volcanoes of the Sandwich Islands / by Isabella L. Bird. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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$tow-boat She looks ill-found, too; I saw two essential pieces of tackle give way as they were hoisting the main sail. She has a small saloon with a double tier of berths, besides transoms,. which give accommodation on the level of the lower berth. There is a stem cabin, which is a prolongation of the saloon,, and not in any way separated from it. There is no ladies' cabin ; but sex, race, and colour are included in a promiscuous- arrangement. Miss Karpe, my travelling companion, and two agreeable ladies, were already in their berths very sick, but I did not get into mine because a cockroach, looking as large as a mouse^ occupied the pillow, and a companion not much smaller was- roaming over the quilt without any definite purpose. I can't vouch for the accuracy of my observation, but it seemed to me that tliese tremendous creatures were dark red, \\ith eyes like lobsters', and antennae two inches long. They looked capable of carr}-ing out the most dangerous and inscrutable designs. I called the IMalay steward; he smiled mournfully, but spoke reassuringly, and pledged his word for their innocuousness, but I never can believe that they are not the enemies of man; and I lay down on the transom, not to sleep, however, for it seemed essential to keep watch on the proceedings of these formidable vermin. The grotesqueness of the arrangements of the berths and their occupants grew on me during the night, and the climax was put upon it when a gentleman coming down in the earh' morning asked me if I knew that I was using the Governor of Maui's head for a footstool, this portly native Excellency'^ being in profound slumber on the forward part of the transom. This diagram represents one side of the saloon and the happy family of English, Cliinamen, Hawaiians, and Americans :— AfoDg. 1 Vacant. \ Miss , Governor Nahaolelua | Myself. | An Hawaiian. I noticed, too, that there were ven.- few trunks and portman- teaus, but that the after end of the saloon was heaped with Mexican saddles and saddlebags, which I learned too late were the essential gear of every traveller on Havvaii. At five this morning we were at anchor in the roads of Lahaina, the chief village on tlie mountainous island of ]\Iaui.$